Cliff Byrne excited to get back to Cantley Park after Doncaster Rovers' hectic start to summer

That is when he and manager Grant McCann will finally be able to take a training session for the first time since leaving Peterborough United in January.

Byrne says the break was refreshing but he will be glad to get pre-season up and running on Wednesday.

"Just walking around the training ground got me excited," said Byrne of his return to a club he served as McCann's right-hand man in 2018-19. "I want to be involved and try to be a positive influence around people at the football club."

By the time the call came from McCann to return to Rovers, his long-serving coach was ready for it.

"It can be a bit fuzzy and hazy for the initial week or 10 days (out of work) but you settle down and try and get a routine," he said.

"There's some days where you just sit there, do nothing and enjoy the break but you want to keep yourself up to speed with what's happened and get some quality family time. I got to watch my lad play on Saturdays and Sundays – I couldn't always get to both games when I was working. I got to take the wife for lunch from time to time and the list of jobs to do around the house was pretty long!

"You're thinking, 'When's the next opportunity? What do I need to be ready for? What games do I need to watch? What players should I be watching?'"

Byrne and McCann walked out on Rovers to move up a division with Hull City but they had no concerns at returning, and have been warmly welcomed by fans who recognised the boost Doncaster needed.

"When we left there would naturally have been disappointment from fans, elements of the squad and the board and that's understandable but we're all grown-up about things," said Byrne. "You don't hold grudges and you move on.

"If there was a grudge from either side I don't think we'd be here.

"We felt it was a good opportunity to move onto and you can't look back. Fortunately we've now got an opportunity to revisit it again.

"The well-wishes that have come through, we're sharing the excitement of the fans, and it gives you that energy you can feed off and we will need it.

"It's going to take a lot of hard work but we're up for the challenge."

Byrne understands there will be times when the management need to fall back on that support.

"We need them to buy into what we're doing so we need to give them something to buy into,” he argued. “It goes hand in hand.

"There will be games and difficult times this season where the crowd will need to pulls us through, we don't shy away from that. We don't think we're going to go through the whole season without needing that.

"Every player who pulls on the shirt needs to give them something to support.

"The memories are there of an exciting season when we were last here but we want to create new memories.”

Centre-back Tom Anderson will not be on the grass on Wednesday as he recovers from a back operation but George Miller should be ready to compete for a place with Joe Ironside, one of the heavy influx of summer recruits, after knee surgery.

As he did at Hull, McCann will take his players to Scotland for a pre-season training camp. After winning League One in 2021, he pointed to its importance in building bonds and setting standards, and Doncaster will head to St Andrews after friendlies against Rossington Main and Boston United.